Located at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Lincoln Way in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the Golden Gate Park Hall of Flowers (renamed the County Fair Building in 1986) and the adjoining two-acre Sunset Demonstration Gardens were constructed in 1959 and 1960, respectively. The Hall of Flowers was designed by the firm of Appleton & Wolfard, a well-connected partnership that specialized in modernist civic buildings. The Sunset Demonstration Gardens, commissioned by Sunset Magazine, in association with Strybing Arboretum, was designed by a consortium of prominent midcentury modern landscape architects from the Bay Area, including Thomas Church, Douglas Baylis, Edward Williams, and Lawrence Halprin. The complex is notable for its intact modernist design, featuring a soaring canted roof and modern landscaping. The property is not currently threatened but it does suffer from deferred maintenance.

How to Join

Membership to Docomomo Noca is through Docomomo US. Members receive the bi-annual DOCOMOMO US newsletter, discounts to US and regional tours, lectures and events, including the International Conference, inclusion in the online DOCOMOMO social network, and membership in a regional chapter.

How to Donate

As an all-volunteer organization, Docomomo NOCA relies on the generous contributions of our friends and supporters in addition to any grants we may receive. If you value the quality architectural tours, events, and programs we produce every year and support our advocacy efforts and projects, then please donate today.